Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-01-14
AMERICAN HISTORY.
Origin of the Haldimand Correspondence
An Important letter now First
Published,
TO the Editor of the Free Press:


recently published in The Mdgdztnc Of
Amcricdn HistOrM 1t is fit now that |
should give to the public, and choose to
do it through the FREE PRESS, what |
think may be justly regarded as the initial
letter in the lIaldimand correspondence,
or the initial step which led the British
cabinet to adopt the policy which resulted
in that correspondence The letter is one
in the vast collection of americana,
owned by b. f. Stevens of London, con-
sistng of documents touching American
history, gathered from the archives of
Great Britain and the continental cOun-
tries of Europe-a collection which Con-
gress ought at once to secure, at any rea-
sonable price. A copy of this letter was
handed to me few weeks ago by Mr..
Stevens, with other documents, which
are specimens of his collection, and these
are destined by me for the Vermont HIS
torical society. But to the letter, premls
ing that it was written on the morning Of
Dec. 81 1913, by one British official to an
associate, preparatory to "A cabinet meet
ing at ~ o'clock on the same day, for the
purpose of determining what should be
done with Ethan Allen and his associate
prisoners of war, who had reached Eng
land five days before. Alexander We'd
derburn, the writer of the letter, was So
licltor General. William Eden, to whom it
was addressed, was Under-secretary of
State the Lord ;. named was Lord Suf-
folk, Secretary of State; and the attorney
referred to was the Attorney General, Lord
Edward Thurow.
Proof
UNIVERSITY LIBRARY, CAMBRIDGE.
RCCkLAND Mss,
Alexander IVCddCrbun to WUltdm
Eaten, as:
Morning of 81 December, 1115.
Dear Eden: | shall certainly attend La
s. at - O'Clock. My idea of the Business
does not differ much from the Attorneys.
upon 1t ever since saw you,
and am persuaded some un-
| lucky incident must arise if Allen and his
People are kept here. 1t must be under.
stood that Government does not mean to
execute them, the Prosecution will he
remiss and the Disposition Of some People
| 10 thwart 1t very active. | would there
! fore send them back, but | think some
| thing more might be done than merely to
return them a. Prisoners to America.
/ Allen by Keys William Kay, secret
service agent at Montreall account took
]
| We Lands he had settled hetw. Hamp-
shire and y. York, in consequence of
} an order of Council settling the boundary
J of these two provinces, and had balanced
/ for some time whe'r to have recourse to
ye Rebels or to Mr. Carleton governor
general of the Province of Quebec. The
doubt of being well received by the lat
ter, determined Him to join the former,
} and Key adds that he is bold, active fell
! low. ! would then send to Him Person
of Confidence with this Proposal That
| his case had been favoraOly represented
to Government, that the injury he had
suffered was some Alienation for his
crime and that it arose from an Abuse of
an order of Council which was never
meant to dispOsseSs the Settlers in the
Lands in debate betw. We two prov
inces. If He has mind to return to his
duty He may not only have his pardon
| from Gen. Howe, but Company OF Kan
gers, and in the event il He behaves well
His lands restored on these terms ne and
| his Men shall be sent back to Boston at
| liberty; if he does not accept them, he
and they must be disposed of as the Law
! directs. If he should behave well, 1t is an
Acquisition, If not there Is still an Advan-
tage in finding a decent reason for not
! Immediately proceeding ag't him as a
/ Rebel Some of the People who came over
III the Ship with him or perhaps Key him
self might easily settle this bargain, if ii
is set about directly.
Yours ever, A. c. w.
Such is the letter. That it was agreed tC
by the cabinet appears in the fact that on
that very 21th of December, l715, Lord
George Germalne OF the Admiralty or
dered that Allen and his associates he re
turned to Gen. Howe in Boston. Howe
evacuated Boston March Is, l116, went to
Halifax, and thence to New York. Allen
followed him round, and was ultimately
IA prisoner on parole until the 9th o: May
l77S, when he was exchanged for Col
Archibald Campbell While he was OF
parole the "Person of Confidence" was
found to make the proposal suggested by
Wedderburn, of which Allen gave this ac
count in the Narrative of his captivity
About the middle of January, III, Allet
says, "a British of rank and importance
: in the army, whose name shall not men
ton in this narrative for certain reasons
, though have mentioned 1t to some of my
close friends and contidants, sent for mt
to his lodgings and told me, that faith
. Iulness, though in wrong cause, haC
nevertheless recommended me to Gen
, Sir William Howe, who was minded t.
make me colonel of IA regiment of new
levies alias tories, in the British service
! and proposed that should 20 with HIM
and some other officers to England, who
| would embark for that purpose in few
? days, and there be introduced to Lord &
: Germalne, and probably to the king anC
that previously ! should be clothed equa
to such an introduction. and instead o
paper rags be paid in hard guineas af
Ter this, should embark with Gen. Bur
, goyne, and assist in the reduction of thu
country which inIallibly would be con
! quered, and, when that should be done,
should have large tract of land, either IL
New Hampshire grants, or in Connecticut
= it would make no odds, as the countr.
would be forfeited to the crown | theI
, replied, That, if by faithfulness | haC
recommended myself to Gen. Howe,
should be 10th, by unlaithfulness, to los
, the generals good opinion, besides that
viewed the offer of land to be similar t
that which the devil offered Jesus Christ
ITO give him all the kingdoms of tn
world, if he would fall down and worship
him when mt the same time the damned
soul had not one foot of land upon earth,
! commend to the attention the edito
l of the MdgdzinG Of american History
l Wedderburn's letter, and especially tina